There is this general theory, the company line in a company town, that the Yankees are fine even though they might not finish first this time in the American League East.

The specifics of the theory? They go something like this: The Yankees can just go ahead and set up their bullpen and wait to get completely healthy again, because they are going to make the playoffs one way or another. Once they get into the tournament – healthy, bullpen set up – they don’t need home field against the Rangers or the Twins or the Rays to get back to the World Series and win the World Series that they expect to win at these prices.

Really?

Yes, really.

The history on this goes all the way back to the last year before Joe Torre became the manager, when Buck Showalter (and who thought the Yankees would be playing meaningful and treacherous games against him and the Orioles in September?) was still the manager.…

Just a few days ago, January 29th, our own Moshe Mandel pulled a Fire Joe Morgan on Mike Lupica due to Lupica’s hypocrisy regarding the Yankees and their spending. Well, Lupica threw out another silly piece on Sunday the 31st. The title? “New York Yankees and…Johnny Damon still have time to make a deal.”...

I had promised a few readers an article on the PECOTA projections this morning, but will push that until next week because SG over at RLYW has suggested that their math is a bit off, and Colin Wyers has responded that they are looking into it. I will wait until there is more news on...

Look, Andy isn’t 100%. His body is tired and his shoulder probably hurts like heck. He admittedly had “zero” in his last game, but he battled through. I expect nothing less in Game 6. I don’t expect a shutout or 10 K’s. I can see 3-4 runs over 5-6 innings. Will that be enough to topple Pedro and the Phillies? Who knows? But I do know –no, I believe– that Pettitte is the only option here, for better or worse.

Pettitte won more respect from teammates for hanging tough in a game where he not only didn’t have his best stuff but by his own private accounts to longtime friends actually had zero. Zip. Nada.

Three Yankees teammates recounted how Pettitte told the team he took “nothing” (his word of choice) out to the mound for Game 3. But even beyond his self assessment, the plan for short rest for the Yankees’ three vaunted starting pitchers was always seen as by far the most worrisome in the case of Pettitte, who at 37 is five years Burnett’s senior.…

It’s about time to stop defending guys with, “it’s too early to conclude….” Bad performance for almost a month is worrisome – especially if the badness just continues from prior years. I already wrote that about Carlos Beltran, so now it’s CC Sabathia’s turn. The problem it isn’t his four 2015 starts; it’s his almost 300 IP of an 80 ERA+ (4.97 ERA) spanning 2013-15.

This is one of those times you can predict baseball: falling as far and as fast as CC is uncommon, but not unprecedented; he isn’t the first once-talented 30something to suffer a substantial, sudden decline – which I confirmed by searching the Baseball Reference “Play Index” tool for pitchers with a decline like CC’s. I generated a list of all 30something starters, in the past 50 years, with a career ERA+ of over 95 (i.e., average-ish or better) who, after at least six full seasons (i.e., a track record of success), suddenly had an ERA+ under 85 (in at least 150 IP).…

We’re 10 games into the 2015 season and Alex Rodriguez is batting .344/.432/.781 /1.214 with four home runs, 11 RBI, a .514 wOBA and a 238 wRC+. Hmmm, not bad for the guy most people were writing off before the season even started.

“His bat speed is gone.”

“He’s too old.”

“He’s been gone from the game too long.”

Obviously, these numbers are not sustainable, but for now, it is very fun to watch Rodriguez silence the loudmouths who were waiting to dance on his grave and make the people who were marching with torches and pitchforks have to give him some credit for his performance so far. Oh hi, there Mike Lupica!

So what did Rodriguez do last night? Not much, he just won the game for the Yankees by being responsible for four of their five runs and driving in the game-winning run.

His first home run came off Rays’ starter Nathan Karns in the second inning. Karns threw a 92 m.p.h.…